It's hard being Tommy Lee. He's alone in a Las Vegas hot tub (albeit a very nice one), he doesn't have a stripper pole installed in his tour bus -- yet -- and he has a habit of finding trouble even when he's not looking for it (the latter being part of his well-documented charm). To make matters worse, he's just found out that sixty of the hottest tattooed chicks on the planet, with the kind of proclivity for naked frolicking he appreciates, are going to be in town the week after leaves. As he waits for his friends to arrive, we selflessly kept the rocker company on the phone, chatting about the Saints of Los Angeles U.S. tour his band, Mtley Cre, have just embarked on, and the sinful fun that can be found on the road.

Nicole Powers: Where are you right now?

Tommy Lee: I'm in Vegas, sitting in a hot tub in a Sky Villa in the Palms Hotel. We're in the Hugh Hefner Suite.

NP: It doesn't get better than that.

TL: No, it's fucking epic. Where are you?

NP: I'm in Los Angeles, but we actually have 60 Suicide Girls going to Vegas next week. So you're in Vegas the wrong week I can tell you!

TL: Wow! That sucks.

NP: They're in town to make a DVD.

TL: Awe! You're kidding me?

NP: No.

TL: God. When is everyone here? Next week?

NP: Yeah.

TL:Fucking hell!

NP: Life is all about timing.

TL: I need to get back here some how.

NP: I heard you had a rather scary incident recently in a helicopter. Can you tell me about that?

TL: Oh! [laughs] No, there was nothing scary about it. Mtley Cre did a show in Palm Springs, out in the desert, and we were flying the helicopter back. This house was on fire about 30 minutes outside of Van Nuys airport, where we were going to land. So there was this house on fire, you could see all this smoke coming up. And I said, "Fuck! Let's go over there and check it out." We flew close to the house to check it out, and apparently we got into the police's airspace. But we were so far away from them. I still don't understand. Like, there was no way we were that close.

NP: So you caused a minor emergency with the police department?

TL: Yeah, well, they followed us to where we were landing. We were going to land at my house, but we were running out of fuel, so we landed at the airport to get some fuel. And then we just decided, let's get out and we'll just drive home. So we were on the ground, and I had in my backpack a bottle of vodka mixed with lemonade, right. As soon as we landed my pilot, Dave, said, "Hey! Where's that vodka?" I grabbed it, and he takes two big giant sips straight out of the vodka bottle. Right when he was drinking it the cops walked out and said, "Who's the pilot of that helicopter?" And he's like, "That would be me." So they thought he was drinking. But he doesn't drink and fly ever. That's stupid. So that's what the whole deal was. They gave him a sobriety test and all that. He's like, "Guys, I just had two shots of vodka after we landed, now it's a little late to be testing me, do you know what I mean?" So that was it. No big deal.

NP: But that's typical of you. You get into trouble without trying to, without doing anything wrong.

TL: I know. [laughs]

NP: Life is so unfair.

TL: I know. I had nothing to do with any of it. [laughs]

NP: Mtley Cre's new album is called Saints of Los Angeles shouldn't it really be called Sinners of Los Angeles?

TL: I would personally have to say that I am more of a saint than a sinner.

NP: I believe that, 'cause you obviously take great pride in being a really great dad.

TL: Yeah.

NP: What other aspects of your life are you most proud of?

TL: I think, more than anything, I just treat people like I want to be treated, and at the end of the day just try to be a good guy, like a nice person. I'm friendly with everybody, and sometimes it gets me into trouble you know. I can't say no very often. Sometimes it gets me into trouble, but my attitude in life is just be kind to everybody and karma will be kind back to you, you know?

NP: Well, in our puritanical culture people do confuse having fun with being evil. What's your philosophy towards sin these days?

TL: I don't believe in it. I think you need to have a good time and as long as you aren't hurting anyone else, everything's A-OK.

NP: Do you believe in god?

TL: I can say that I practice Buddhism, and I definitely believe there's someone higher and greater than all of us out there, you know...It was a couple of years ago. I was in jail for an entire summer, like four, five months, and I started reading a couple of books on it, and I was like, "Wow!" It's really amazing you know. It's good stuff.

NP: So what about Buddhism have you been able to apply to your life? And what about it has really helped you?

TL: Its just compassion really, more than anything. Like, if you see a little spider on the ground, you don't smash him, you grab him and put him outside and let him go rock out. I think, it's just compassion for everything, all things.

NP: There is a certain thing about respect for life. They say that serial killers often showed signs even as kids. A classic sign of a serial killer in the making, is someone that tortures animals as a child.

TL: [laughs] Oh fuck! All pets?

NP: I guess, once you lose respect for life, where do you draw the line.

NP: I heard that Larry Charles is on board to direct a film about Mtley Cre's life as set down in your collective biography, The Dirt. Is that true?

TL: We don't have any definitive plans on the film yet.

NP: Is that just internet rumor? I mean should I be cleaning up your Wikipedia page?

TL: You know, I don't know. This movie project has been going on forever. So to tell you the truth I don't know who's even been talked to or any of that stuff, so it's best to leave that one alone.

NP: Do you enjoy some of the rumor and misdirection that comes from the internet? Some of it must be fun to read the more ridiculous stuff.

TL: Yes. Isn't that funny. I mean prior to the internet you had to hear it from your friends or some gossip columnist, or something like that, and now shit's just everywhere. It's unbelievable.

NP: It's hard to control it, unless you're like Stephen Colbert, who seems like he amends his Wikipedia page on an hourly basis.

TL: Oh my god. That's crazy. Yes, it's a double-edged sword isn't it.

NP: Are you big on the internet? Are you a bit of a geek?

TL: Yeah. I'll admit it. I'm definitely a bit of a geek. I love being able to get music when you want it. I just kind of surf around and check out fucking crazy porno or music. I'm a gear-head, I love recording music, so I'm always trying to find the newest, latest, coolest, fastest, badass piece of equipment, so I love it. I'm always on there.

TL: Well there's a shower, there's a kitchen, a Pro Tools recording system, a Jeagemeister machine, both formats of Playstation, and Xbox.

[loud police car sirens go off in the background]

Whoa, somebody's in trouble!

NP: And it's not you this time.

TL: Thank fucking god it's not me or maybe they are coming to get me who knows? Fuck! [laughs]

NP: I'll be your witness. "He was only doing an interview officer."

TL: All of a sudden the phone hangs up and you're like, "Uh-oh! I guess he had to go."

NP: I'd have to turn on the TV to find out what was going on.

TL: Yeah right. [laughs] Oh boy!

NP: Getting back to your bus. What bit of gear haven't you got that you'd like. I mean you're in a Jacuzzi right now, would you like one of those in there?

TL: That would be cool. Although I don't know how that would work. It would probably splash all over the place.

NP: You'd have to put it an extension, in a trailer at the back.

TL: There you go. That'd be fun. I don't have a stripper pole that'd be kind of fun too. I think I'm missing that.

NP: I feel you are too.

TL: But then again, we don't really need a pole. You don't need a pole to strip right? At least on my bus we haven't needed one yet.

NP: I understand you have a compulsory strip rule in your backstage area.

TL: Yeah. My dressing room has a no clothes rule. You have to remove one item of clothing that's not your socks to even get in. That's just the way we do it. Actually, the night before last, when we were in Reno, it was fucking awesome. We'd just got off stage, and I dried off for a second, kind of catching my breath, poured a cocktail, and all of a sudden the dressing room door opened, and here come, not with one article of clothing removed, but fucking totally naked just walking into my room. I was like, "God, bless you guys." It was beautiful.

NP: So how many naked people just randomly walked in?

TL: Well right when the door opened, there was two naked girls that came in, and then there was probably about five or six other people there that were half naked so it was a nice little party.

NP: Do you share with your band mates to keep everything cool?

TL: Well, you know what, it's kind of strange because Vince is married, Mick's got a girlfriend and Nikki's got a girlfriend, so I'm like the single crazy guy. Everyone comes to my room after the show.

NP: Poor you.

TL: I know! Poor me, right?

NP: The only single guy. It must be so sad to be alone.

TL: I love it.

NP: Well someone's gotta do it haven't they?

TL: Right. Someone's gotta do it Jesus.

NP: It's practically a public service. Someone has to keep the rock & roll dream alive.

TL: Exactly and I'm flying the flag baby. And you know it's so funny, because the guys in my band they put me way, way, way down at the end of the hall in the last dressing room because it's like my music is way too loud, and there's a bunch of crazy naked people everywhere.

NP: So you're even the bad boy of the band at this point.

TL: Of course. Always have been, always will.

NP: You guys have been together for nearly three decades now, and you're one of the few bands where other members are as famous as the lead singer. How does that affect the internal balance? I would imagine having a more even spread is a healthy thing in a band.

TL: A more even spread of what though?

NP: Well often groups are very beholden to a lead singer who's the most famous face in a band. And you don't have that. There's a more even spread of power in the band.

TL: I think it's awesome, you know. Thank god there's four guys that are equally as talented, and have a presence. There's nothing worse than a band that are faceless, you don't even know their names or what they do, or maybe you just know the singer and the other guys are kind of in the dark. So it's very cool being in a band like that.

NP: It's a very positive thing, that you've all been able to carve your own niche.

TL: Yeah. It's awesome, isn't it?

NP: A true collective.

TL: It's definitely a crue.

NP: Well I should let you get back to bubbling your bits. Good luck with the tour.

TL: Thank you. You know what? I absolutely love tattooed women, like you have no idea. It makes me crazy. It makes me absolutely fucking crazy. Do me a favor and put it in print. Blow kisses to all the tattooed beautiful Suicide Girls for me, OK.

NP: Absolutely. How many kisses?

TL: Millions!

NP: Well Suicide Girls love tattooed guys, so I'm sure you'll get them back in spades, 'cause you need more girl love right?

TL: Yeah, right. [laughs] I know. I'm sitting here all alone. This is terrible...They're just not here yet that's all.

If you are going to be in Las Vegas on Friday, February 13th, come out to meet Suicide Girls from around the world as they host the Black Heart Party, at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel. Check our Facebook page for more event info.